When programmer Lu Yuan was near death after a car accident, he became bound to the "Origin Core," a high-dimensional divine realm on the brink of collapse and being devoured by the Shadow of the End. To save himself, he disguised the realm as a virtual online game called Era: The Divine Realm Reborn, recruiting players to serve as "The Fourth Calamity."
The players thought they were fighting monsters and leveling up:
The berserker Old Wang tore a stone golem apart with his bare hands, shouting, "This physics engine is so realistic!"
The cash-spending queen Susu bought up a plot of land in the main city and built a fountain plaza to show off her outfits.
The hacker Zero reverse-engineered the game's code and discovered shattered cosmic laws hidden behind the skill bar.
Meanwhile, Lu Yuan hid behind the System announcements:
He converted the emotions generated by players' battles into divine power to repair cracks in the divine realm.
He dressed up the servants of the End as "dungeon bosses," guiding players to slay gods without their knowing.
He carefully rationed every scrap of faith, adjusting "game updates" like a miserly god.
Until the Shadow of the End tore away the disguise and announced to the whole server: [This is not a game. It is a battle for survival between two worlds].
"Now, choose, "
"Log out to save your lives, or stay and become 'Watchers.'"
The million-player concurrent count plummeted by 40%, while the remaining 60% gripped their weapons. Old Wang smashed the logout button: "The word 'coward' isn't in my dictionary!" Susu sold off her real-world assets: "This time, I'm spending my life." Zero pushed up his glasses: "Logic tells me the death rate if we run is 100%."
Standing before the collapsing divine core, Lu Yuan gave a bitter smile. "Sorry, I can't revive you this time, guys."
